To Love and to Live
by Inuchan1
Summary: This is an AU!!!!! Doesn't follow the Inuyasha manga or anime timeline at all!!! I/K and I think it's a pretty good story considering


To Love And to Live; Chapter 1  
  
READ-*****Note to Reader: This is an AU alternate universe. I cannot pound in that point any clearer. I'll try to keep the characters in character, but this does in no way follow the Manga or Anime. Okay. Does everyone understand? Good!***** Please continue.  
  
"Kagome-san! Kagome-san, please wake up!" The anxious voice somehow penetrated the thick fog of sleep. Higurashi Kagome came awake with a start, and looked around blearily.  
"Tetsuki-san?" The usually apathetically mild girl, Tsuko Tetsuki, was uncharacteristically excited. For her to be alarmed something serious must be happening. She was one of the girls that Kagome lived with at the orphanage in their small village. "What is it?"  
"Sango-san said to come and get you. It's Inuyasha again. He and Kikyo-sama are fighting!"  
"Not again!" Kagome cried. Quickly dressing in a simple blue kimono she stepped into her sandals and ran outside. She had to push her way through a sizable crowd on the outskirts of the village to get a look.  
She was just in time to see one of the miko, Kikyo's arrows zoom past into the shoulder of the feared Inu-youkai. He was thrown back and pinned to a tree where he remained absolutely still.  
Kagome gasped in horror. What had the white haired demon done to provoke such violence? She started toward the tree unconciously but a hand grasped her shoulder firmly.  
"Do not Kagome-chan. It is dangerous." Her best friend, Sango warned.  
"Sango-chan... He's hurt. I cannot ignore that just because he is a demon." Kagome shook off the restraining hand and crept up to the silent figure.  
"My friend- I was not talking about Inuyasha" Sango murmured to her retreating friend's back.  
Kagome knew she was in no peril from Inuyasha. He couldn't move anyway. As she got closer her blood ran cold at the site of blood oozing and soaking his haori. She sped up and knelt in front of him when she got there. She checked for his pulse and sighed in relief when she felt one beating strong. Though it was sufficiently sluggish to cause concern. The wound wasn't fatal, but a little to the left and it would have been.  
She tilted his head up and smiled softly. He was even more gorgeous each time she saw him. Perhaps not handsome or elegant, but he radiated a kind earthy male beauty that made him ten times more appealing than any other man she'd ever seen. And in unconciousness his features relaxed from the mask of beligerent indifference that was so often present on his face, and loked almost... peaceful.  
So absorbed was she in him, that it took a while for her to notice the tugging on her arm. The small kitsune she'd taken in, Shippo, was looking at her anxiously. She patted him on the head and was about to tell him to run along when she was interrupted.  
"Higurashi-san. Move aside" ordered the cold and emotionless voice of Kikyo, the revered, respected, and merciful miko.  
But when Kagome stood and turned to face her there was no mercy in her icy eyes as she notched another arrow.   
"Please, Kikyo-sama. He's badly injured but not dead. I-"  
"A sleight on my part that will soon be rectified. Stand aside girl." She aimed the weapon so it would hit Inuyasha through the heart if Kagome moved.  
This was killing her pride, but some sacrifices were worth making. "I beg you Kikyo-sama; spare him. I do not know what he's done but surely it was nothing so horrible for you to execute him...?"  
"Being a demon is reason enough for me to kill him." she snapped, oblivious, as was everyone else, to the hand that slowly rose to pull the arrow from it's body.   
"Showing mercy to him would be showing weakness. You are too soft with your foolish emotions. His kind deserves nothing less than total annihalation. They deserve neither my nor your mercy. Only contempt"  
"You are wrong. All things deserve kindness. I cannot turn my back on someone because they are different than I am" She backed up so she was blocking Inuyasha completely.  
Kikyo narrowed her gaze and pulled back on the bowstring. "Move, Higurashi, now and cease these impetuous defiances immediately."  
"No! I've been wanting to do this for the two years you think you've been running my life. If you want to get to Inuyasha, you have to go through me." she closed her eyes and awaited the consequence.  
The crowd made a collective sound of shock and began to whisper amongst themselves heatedly. Stricken, Sango clasped a hand over her mouth. "Kagome-chan...!"  
Kikyo remained calm. "Very well. As you wish" She steadied her hand and released the arrow.  
Suddenly Kagome found herself lifted and flying through the air, caught up in strong arms and snug against a hard body. She snapped her eyes open again and stared at the visage of her savior. *GASP!* "Inu- Inuyasha?! How?"  
"Thanks for stalling. You gave me just enough time to pull the bitch's arrow out AND save your stupid carcass." He scowled down at her as he carried her at high speed through the forest "What were you thinking, you little idiot?"  
"I was *thinking* about saving your life!" She glared at him while looping her arms around his neck tightly. "What were YOU thinking, provoking the high priestess like that." she hissed when they stopped.  
He didn't set her down, but kept her firmly encased in his arms. "*I* was thinking that I wanted to come and get you to take you away from that cursed village for a while, okay?" he replied angrily.  
"You were coming to kidnap me?" she asked giving him a dazzling smile.  
"Keh! It wouldn't be a real kidnapping and you know it!" he snorted, but smiled a little in return.  
"Hmm." She leaned her head against his shoulder contentedly. "Are you sure you weren't just trying to get the Shikon no Tama again?" she teased.  
Inuyasha was not amused. "I'm sure" he said tightly al amusement vanishing. It hurt him when he thought she didn't trust him. "I'm sure I don't know what I was thinking when I thought it might be pleasant for us to get away from a place where we can never be together as long as you live there!" He ranted and put her down to turn away from her. He was seething inside.   
Kagome winced. She should have known better. Now she had struck a nerve. "Inuyasha... I was only teasing. I know you have no intention of stealing the jewel- now." she walked tentatively up and wrapped her arms around him from behind. She nuzzled her face into his back. "I'm sorry" she mumbled, and lay her cheek on his back.  
Finally Inuyasha turned and circled her shoulders, resting his chin on the top of her head. They stood like that for a long time, each thinking about the first time they'd met, when Inuyasha HAD been trying to steal the Shikon no Tama... and it had almost cost Kagome her life.  
  
It was that day that Kagome had woken up with no memory of anything that came before except her name. She woke in a strange bed, with strange people watching over her. She'd started up and immediately regretted it. Her arm was in a primitive cast, only a thin board and bandages keeping the bone from snapping in two again. She cried out and cradled it against her then looked around with tears in her eyes.  
"Wh-where am I?" she asked in a frightened voice.   
"Shhhh, Miss. You are safe. Surely you remember stumbling into this village? You were bruised and cut and your arm was broken. You have been asleep with fever for three nights. You must remember....?" a young girl about the age of ten asked.  
Kagome shook her head. "I remember nothing. Only my name." she mumbled.  
"What is your name? Perhaps we may find your family in another village."  
"Higurashi Kagome. But, but I can't remember anything else!" she wailed.  
"Hush. I am Kaede. My sister has asked me to look after you and notify her when you awaken. I must be going now." she said something under her breath that sounded like "..amazing.." then left the room.  
Kagome waited for a long time, it seemed to her. Then a woman entered the room and Kagome had to blink. She didn't know how she knew, but she knew that this woman looked uncannily like herself.  
"Who are you?"  
"I am Kikyo, miko of this small village. What business have you here?"  
"I- I don't know. The only thing I can remember from before I just woke up is that my name is Kagome and, and I think I'm fifteen years old." she wailed. Then she folded her knees up to her chest and buried her face in them.  
"I see." The miko raked her eyes over the girls frame coldly, assessingly. "Stop that sniveling. It is unbecoming for any young miko in training."  
"Huh?"  
"You have an aura about you. You have the potential to become a strong and powerful priestess."  
"What are you talking about? I don't understand."  
"Your training begins tomorrow"  
"But... what about my arm? It's broken" Kagome said dumbly.  
For the first time Kikyo's face relaxed. She smiled, albeit coldly. "There are things to be learned that do not require the use of a left arm. I will see you at dawn"  
Never had Kagome been so frightened. But some elusive memory surfaced on the dark sea that was her memory. A faint whisper-  
  
"Never show them your fear..."  
  
Kagome met the priestess' eyes squarely and just as expressionlessly. She lifted her chin mulishly in a gesture that plainly said, 'No way'  
"We shall see, little girl." The nickname was clearly meant as an insult. Then abruptly she turned and gracefully headed out the door. Almost as an afterthought she paused and tossed over her shoulder, "Do not venture into the forest. I forbid you to set even one foot in it. There things more dangerous there than your small mind could possibly comprehend. As long as you live in this village you are under my protection and I will not have you put yourself in needless danger."  
With that, closed the door softly. Kagome heard her converse with Kaede, who had obviosly been waiting outside. She clearly heard, "...discontinue the search for her family... doesn't need them anymore."  
Never had Kagome, as far as she knew, felt such instant hatred, and grudging respect at the same time. Her eyes wandered around the small room and finally landed on a small window on the far side away from the bed.  
Her mouth slowly curved into a mischievious and defiant grin. She had just discovered something innate about herself. She didn't take orders well. Nothing was so compellingly enticing as something that was forbidden...   
  
Well, I hope you liked that. Tell me what you think and whether you'd like me to continue. 


End file.
